Birth: Oct. 14, 1892

Death: Sep. 30, 1918

John F. Derby, Frontenac, Kansas, entered the Army on October 2, 1917. He trained at Camp Funston, Kansas, Co. F. 353 Inf, 89th Division. Camp Funston is no more, but was part of what is now Fort Riley, Manhattan, KS. In France he served with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), Co. K, 140th Inf, 35th Division. John fought in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The offensive had three phases and John died in the first phase, but the offensive succeeded, and pushed the Germans out of France. One Artilleryman in the 35th Division, who fought in the offensive and survived, was Capt. Harry Truman, who later became president of the United States. John F. Derby was wounded and buried on the battlefield on September 30, 1918. His body was not found and properly buried in the American Cemetery at Meuse-Argonne until 1925, seven long years after his death. Pvt. Derby was the first and only soldier from Frontenac, Kansas, to die in action in W. W. I. The John F. Derby American Legion Post 43, the second oldest legion post in the state of Kansas is named in his honor. Derby was the oldest child of John Peter and Euphemia Monahan Derby, immigrants from Scotland. Derby's younger siblings were Sarah, Marguerite, William, Hugh, George and Euphemia. The story “A Hero's Life Told Through His Letters” can be found by clicking here. Burial: Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery Romagne Lorraine, France Plot: Plot H, Row 43, Grave 5 Record added: Jan 22 2005 By: Kris Cerone Story last updated at 5:53 a.m. Tuesday, June 1, 2004

(http://morningsun.net/stories/060104/loc_20040601012.shtml) A hero's life told through his letters Great-niece of local vet donates memorabilia to Legion post By NIKKI PATRICK Lifestyle Editor

Pfc. John Francis Derby, the first soldier from Frontenac to die in World War I, lay in an unmarked grave in France for seven years while his frantic mother wrote to government officials trying to find out where or even if her son was buried. Now his picture and copies of the letters he wrote to loved ones are proudly displayed in the American Legion post named in his honor ‹ the John F. Derby Åmerican Legion Post 43, the second oldest legion post in the state of Kansas. The letters and a genealogy of the Derby family were recent gifts from Kris Cerone, Perris, Calif., great-niece of Derby. Her grandfather, Hugh Derby, was the fallen hero¹s younger brother. Cerone was present Monday for Memorial Day ceremonies in Frontenac, meeting with legion members, including Frank Bozick, 101, a childhood friend of her grandfather, and Owen ³Cobb² O¹Hara, nephew of John Derby¹s closest friend, also named Owen O¹Hara. ³We¹re very proud to have this memorabilia on display at the post home and very happy that Kris came to share this day with us,² said Ron Wattelet, post commander. Cerone said that she had received the letters through her aunt Marguerite, who was named for one of Derby¹s sisters. ³He wrote beautiful letters, in beautiful penmanship, to his mother and other family members,² she said. ³I began to read John¹s life in his letters.² Derby was the oldest child of John Peter and Euphemia Monahan Derby, immigrants from Scotland. ³There were a lot of Monahans in Frontenac,² Cerone said. One of them, Mary Monahan, was a Frontenac High School principal and math teacher. One of her students was Wattelet. ³In 1900 John Peter and Euphemia were in Cherokee County, and, shortly after that, they moved to Frontenac,² Cerone said. Derby¹s younger siblings were Sarah, Marguerite, William, Hugh, George and Euphemia. Derby was inducted into military service on Oct. 2, 1917. ³When John was in the United States, he was stationed at Camp Funston, which is now Camp Riley, in Company F, 353rd Infantry,² Cerone said. He wrote to his mother that it was difficult to get passes to leave the camp, but that the camp had a piano and a fine collection of Catholic magazines and books. ³I was able to see the sweet, precious side of this young man,² Cerone said. ³But he had another side as well. He wrote to his sister Sarah about the prices of various things including the price of whiskey.² Then he was shipped overseas. Derby wrote to his mother that he had safely arrived in France, but was not allowed to tell her his exact location. As nearly as Cerone can piece it together, Derby was killed on Sept. 30, 1918. He was part of the Meuse-Argonne offensive. ³That offensive had three phases, and we believe John died in the first one,² Cerone said. ³But the offensive succeeded, and pushed the Germans out of France.² But the victory came at a high price. According to historians, about 1,200,000 Americans fought in the Battle of the Meuse-Argonne, and about one of every 10 was killed or wounded. One who fought there and survived was Harry Truman, who later became president of the United States. Cerone said that Derby¹s family was told he had been wounded and taken to a hospital. ³This would not have been a hospital as we think of them,² Cerone said. ³Then, a hospital was probably a tent, or even a railroad car. But we don¹t think John really did get to a hospital ‹ or if he did, he fell into a delirium and wandered off.² On Dec. 4, 1923, Derby¹s family received veteran¹s compensation of $364 for his death. But it was not until August of 1925 that his body was located in an isolated grave. ³That was war then you died, and they buried you,² Cerone said. ³Can you imagine what his mother went through? I never met her, but my heart breaks for her.² In 1930, Cerone said, a pilgrimage was arranged for mothers and wives who had sons or husbands buried in France. Derby¹s mother was able to go and visit her son¹s grave, which is near St. Benoit, France. She died in 1938. His sister Sarah kept all his letters and they were passed to Marguerite at her death. Though Cerone has all of this family memorabilia, and has done extensive internet research, she had no picture of John F. Derby. But now she does, courtesy of O¹Hara, whose relatives were formerly neighbors of the Derby family. ³I don¹t know how they got hold of those Derby family photographs, but I got one of John from a cousin, had it blown up and presented it to the legion,² he said. Cerone now has numerous copies of it. In addition to donating the family genealogy and copies of Derby¹s letters to the legion, she has also placed a picture of him and a copy of one of his letters in Sacred Heart Catholic Church, near a memorial window honoring Derby. She noted that John Derby¹s brother also served in the military. William Derby became an Air Force major, and George Derby was shot down over France during World War II. ³He parachuted out and was all right,² Cerone said. Her grandfather, Hugh, also served in World War II. ³Before the United States entered the war, he went across the border and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force,² Cerone said. ³After we entered the war, he came back home and joined the Navy. He carried his Navy Reserve card in his wallet until his death.² Her great-aunt Sarah also lost a son in World War II. Francis ³Pete² Theis, a pilot and flight instructor, died during a training accident. Perhaps this is the reason why Memorial Day is so important in Cerone¹s family. ³My great-grandparents, the Derbys, came to this country to give their children better lives, and they gave their son for this country,² she said. ³My father and his brother served with pride. I am very proud of the people I come from.²

Nikki Patrick can be reached at nikki.patrick@morningsun.net or 231-2600, Ext. 142.